Vehicle door constructions typically feature a metal door frame with a sheet metal outer panel or skin that defines the door's exterior and an inner sheet metal panel secured to the door frame. Various door components, including window regulator rails, audio speakers, latches, and the like, are fastened in openings defined in the inner sheet metal panel. Covering the inner door panel is a removable trim panel that provides an aesthetically pleasing facade viewed by occupants seated in the passenger cabin of the motor vehicle. Controls are provided on the trim panel for devices such as seats, door locks, mirror and windows. The door latch is connected by a cable to an inner release handle on the trim panel accessible to the vehicle occupant.
Electrical switches may be provided on the door trim panel that operate the power door locks, adjust the passenger seats, open and close vehicle windows, and adjust the side view mirrors. In one type of construction, the electrical switches are arranged in a flip pack having a stationary switch panel and a hinged cover joined with the switch panel. The switch panel carries electrical switches that are infrequently used, such as seat switches, and the hinged cover carries electrical switches that are more frequently used, such as window switches. Normally, the hinged cover is pivoted to cover the switch panel so that the more frequently used electrical switches carried by the cover are visible. To access the less frequently used electrical switches, the cover is pivoted to reveal the electrical switches on the switch panel.
The electrical switches on the cover are illuminated with multiple discrete point light sources, such as light emitting diodes or incandescent bulbs, in the bolster that are aimed at different portions of the upper surface of the cover so as to uniformly illuminate the electrical switches. Similarly, the underside of the cover includes multiple discrete point light sources that are aimed at different portions of the switch panel. The illumination from the point light sources makes the electrical switches more visible under low-lighting conditions, such as early evening or dusk, and darkness caused by storms during the daytime and the like. However, this type of lighting construction requires a large number of components in an intricate assembly. Moreover, the aimed beams of the point light sources may be blocked by a person's hand when the switches are manually actuated so that the advantage gained by lighting the electrical switches of the flip pack is lost.
What is needed therefore is a lighting construction for flip panels that improves on conventional lighting constructions for flip packs.